


friendly competition

by wyvernknighted



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Light-Hearted, very minor claurenz and marihilda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25889863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyvernknighted/pseuds/wyvernknighted
Summary: For the first time in a long while, Leonie’s skill is put to the test in a game of strength, wits, and pixels. Featuring Leonie’s competitive streak, Hilda showing off for Marianne, and the rest of the deer grabbing popcorn for the spectacle.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20
Collections: Leonie Week 2020





	friendly competition

**Author's Note:**

> fair warning, I know very little of actual SSBU meta so if I misrepresent that, I’m sorry in advance.
> 
> Also this fic is meant in good fun, it’s a really silly idea so the characterization is just meant for that  
> some definitions for gamer jargon that I use in this:  
>   
> stock: life (i.e. 3 stock = 3 lives in game)  
>   
> neutral air: An attack in the air without using the directional stick on the controller to change the move, or “neutral.” Sometimes referred to as Nair.  
>   
> smash attack: A move with the A button that you can charge by pressing the button for longer. These moves can deal a lot of damage (depending on the character) but are slower the longer you charge them.  
>   
> tech: to tech is to press the shield button before landing on a surface (wall, ground, platform) to end the tumble animation early.  
>   
> hitbox: an invisible area or box around the character model in a video game that defines where they can be damaged or take hits. Different characters have different hitbox sizes (a smaller character has smaller hitboxes, a larger character has larger hitboxes)  
> 

“Aha, I won again!” Leonie barked out a gleeful laugh. Beside her, Ignatz sighed.

“I think I’m not cut out for fighting games,” he admitted. “How are you so good?”

“I like to play video games to blow off steam.” She quickly navigated to the next menu of Super Smash Siblings Ultimate. “Also I’ve played this game series since I was little. My cousins owned a copy and I would die first most games. It wasn’t until I practiced a ton that I was decent.”

“Well, that’s fair. I don’t spend much time practicing fighting games.”

“If you need tips, I can help!” Leonie gave him a bright smile.

“Ah, maybe another time.” He looked behind him, eyes scanning the party. They were at Claude’s apartment for a weekend hangout. As things often went with their friend group, there were several small groups of people chatting. Lysithea and Raphael were debating the finer details of snack food (Lysithea was adamant that sweets were the best while Raphael claimed beef jerky hailed supreme). Claude and Lorenz were tiptoeing around each other as usual, exchanging quips of flirtation and snark in equal measure. And Hilda reclined beside Marianne on the couch behind Leonie. Ignatz held the controller aloft as he asked, “Would anyone else care for a turn?”

Marianne shook her head quickly but Hilda perked up at the offer. “Sure!” She said in a sugary tone.

Hilda took Ignatz’s place beside Leonie, holding the controller with a practiced grip.

“Have you played this game before?” Leonie was curious. Hilda had never struck her as a person into gaming.

“Oh, maybe once or twice. Go easy on me, okay?”

Leonie shrugged, deciding to follow Hilda’s advice. She would rather the two of them have fun then get angry because Leonie was much better at the game. She remembered the time that she beat Lysithea’s Zelda with a straightforward strategy on Lucina. Her friend had stood up once the game was over with a huff and walked off, shooting angry looks at her from across the room for the rest of the night. Though Leonie was competitive, she would never prioritize that over her friend’s feelings. So instead of her best character, Lucina, she went for Roy.

Leonie had a penchant for heroic sword users. The motion of a sword made sense to her – Just keep them in your range and click A faster than your opponent. Roy was trickier to use because his damage output was different than what she was used to, but she figured it would be an appropriate handicap.

Hilda instantly chose Princess Peach. It seemed oddly appropriate.

“Ready?” Leonie asked before hitting the start button.

“Yep!”

Their characters dropped on to the map called Final Destination and Leonie rushed at Hilda’s character. Except when she pressed with her usual opener, the hit didn’t land.

 _She dodged?_ Leonie only had enough time to think for a moment before Princess Peach had slammed into her little swordsman with a hip bash. In a burst of hearts, Hilda sent her character flying.

Leonie scrambled to regain her bearings but before she could manage to land on the stage, Hilda had jumped to follow her arc upwards. A swing of Peach’s umbrella and Roy was cartwheeling into the sky.

Down one stock, Leonie felt a long-dormant panic. This was the difference in strength she had known when she played this game for the first time. Her cousins, both exceptionally well-practiced, had tag teamed her to get to their eventual 1v1 more quickly. Such harsh defeat had been gruelling but imperfection was what drove Leonie. When she understood that Hilda was not entirely forthcoming about her true skill in this game, she gritted her teeth and hunched over. Her grip on the controller tightened as she leaped at Hilda’s character in-game.

Again, she went for her usual opener and Hilda dodged. It seemed she was expecting what players normally did in this game. Leonie countered her responding attack and tried once more, this time opting for Roy’s neutral air attack. Her hit landed and she was able to rack up some damage on repeat hits. Hilda brought up Peach’s shield and repositioned her character. After a back and forth of force, Leonie finally managed to send Peach flying with a well-timed smash attack. She quickly followed Peach into the air and used her upper B attack to seal the kill.

She glanced at Hilda proudly only to see a competitive glint in her eye. “Oh, wow, you’re so good at this game Leonie.” She was still putting on an act, of course.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Hilda. You definitely know what you’re doing.”

“Oh, you flatter me.” Hilda giggled as her character respawned. “I just picked up some skill here and there from playing this with my brother. Now he’s a _real_ competitive player.”

As she said this, she engaged Leonie again with Peach, sending her character careening from the stage. Leonie exhaled in frustration as she teched through impact. She tried once more to land a hit on Hilda’s character. It seemed that if she broke the fluid motion of attacks which Hilda performed so well, she could make herself an opening. Just one hit would turn the tide of battle. However, Hilda dodged and shielded, and Leonie found herself down another stock before she remembered to breathe.

Both Ignatz and Marianne were fully engaged now, watching the duel before them with rapt attention.

Ignatz shook his head. “I’ve never seen someone trip up Leonie like this.”

“You’re almost the winner, Hilda.” Marianne smiled and Hilda turned around with a wink.

Leonie felt indignant, realizing that Hilda was doing this to show off for her girlfriend. Of course! Well she wasn’t bested yet. As Hilda had her face turned from the screen, Roy respawned. Leonie quickly clicked to catch Peach with her sword. Hilda realized her mistake too late. Soon, Leonie was juggling Peach with slashes of her sword and finishing the damage with the snap of a smash attack. Hilda was frowning, her brow furrowed.

This last stock determined the winner. Everyone was sucked into the world of Leonie and Hilda’s last stand off, as they traded blows with the vigor of hardened warriors. Peach would dodge Roy’s arcing blade, while Roy would shield Peach’s charming body tackle. Roy’s upward sword attack of flame just barely missed Peach’s hitbox, and Hilda maneuvered her character just below Leonie’s fall. She air dodged, but her landing was too predictable. With Peach’s cry of _Ha-cha!_ Hilda hip bashed Roy across the stage. It would have been recoverable but she followed up with a flurry of smash attacks. Hilda finished Leonie’s character with a grab move into a down slam, and Roy flew into the sky with a disheartened twinkle. Leonie’s groan of frustration rose with Hilda’s squeal of glee over her win.

The victory screen played with Peach’s boastful winner animation. Marianne gave her girlfriend a small clap, while Ignatz patted Leonie’s shoulder with a sheepish smile. She assured him that she was alright with the loss. And despite the thorn of annoyance that Leonie harbored over Hilda’s misleading act, she mustered a good natured smile. “Good game!”

“Thanks,” Hilda laughed. “I haven’t had that much fun with a game in a while. Playing against my brother is such a drag.”

“Well, I like the challenge.” Leonie said genuinely. Though Hilda had fibbed, it had still been a fun time. “If you want to play more, I’m down.”

Hilda shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

And thus commenced the most intense session of Super Smash Siblings that Claude’s apartment had ever seen. Soon enough, their other friends wandered to sit around the television to witness the spectacle of their combat. And Leonie was able to snatch a few wins against Hilda, knowing that each one was well-deserved.

**Author's Note:**

> okay so I love Leonie’s competitive nature and I wanted to explore that in this fic. I also like the idea of Leonie being a sore loser but quickly recovering from the salt bc she loves her friends. Leonie is both salty and a good sport ok!!!


End file.
